Sunday, May 22, 2011

Bibliography

  • images
  • http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://organizations.missouristate.edu/stand/Darfur-Map.gif&imgrefurl=http://organizations.missouristate.edu/stand/aboutdarfur.htm&usg=__e6d5ynROaqpD3n8Do4iYxqGs0sE=&h=382&w=360&sz=47&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=pNQCt4r0HgEzlM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=112&ei=M5_ZTZGHK-ia0QGNpdj8Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddarfur%2Bregion%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26noj%3D1%26biw%3D875%26bih%3D330%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=242&vpy=8&dur=86&hovh=231&hovw=218&tx=92&ty=243&sqi=2&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
  • http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b355/sethdub/DarfurEditorialCartoon.gif&imgrefurl=http://tuttiha.com/admin/sudan-genocide-cartoon&usg=__9KDLCg9iwsfoxzJZeWEOKsXwKGI=&h=375&w=485&sz=22&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&tbnid=4j7pbcQE5p4oyM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=129&ei=NaPZTaPtA4T20gGZ-_X7Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddarfur%2Bpolitical%2Bcartoon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26noj%3D1%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D481%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1
  • http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/f/rogers.gif&imgrefurl=http://digitallyspeaking.pbworks.com/w/page/17791585/Voicethread&usg=__U2xY6jEiC1lKojnfdAIB7u0Rx_A=&h=430&w=600&sz=42&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=8yASa8XuRLphHM:&tbnh=159&tbnw=222&ei=NaPZTaPtA4T20gGZ-_X7Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddarfur%2Bpolitical%2Bcartoon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26noj%3D1%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D481%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=614&vpy=141&dur=389&hovh=190&hovw=265&tx=136&ty=95&sqi=2&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0
  • http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://murders.net/wp-content/uploads/darfur1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://murders.net/genocide-in-darfur-sudan/&usg=__vnzZWKJpb_T6ZO4zJ4bTL7Z2eG0=&h=335&w=500&sz=117&hl=en&start=49&zoom=1&tbnid=oqB_MZHvXjoTRM:&tbnh=144&tbnw=200&ei=K6TZTYeoCK-E0QGhza38Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddarfur%2Bgenocide%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26noj%3D1%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D481%26tbm%3Disch0%2C1474&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=457&sqi=2&page=5&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:49&tx=123&ty=77&biw=1366&bih=481
  • http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www-tc.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/files/2008/06/janjaweed22.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/heart-of-darfur/guide-to-factions-and-forces/299/&usg=__pdNrkfXT5i1QLPsRJyYXcMBEbSI=&h=225&w=300&sz=15&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=GENyE4lmPifcEM:&tbnh=165&tbnw=207&ei=kaTZTY7xL-eV0QHmze38Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djanjaweed%2Bdarfur%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26noj%3D1%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D481%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=791&vpy=156&dur=367&hovh=177&hovw=234&tx=86&ty=57&sqi=2&page=1&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0
  • Facts
  • http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/background
  • http://www.darfurscores.org/darfur
  • http://www.slate.com/id/2104210/
  • http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/africa/darfur/militia.html
  • Videos
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-ojg9UjMk0
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USLDoIiFzzg

Response To Magzine Article On International View Of Darfur

                
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/60434/scott-straus/darfur-and-the-genocide-debate
             
                 This article talks about the international response to Darfur and the trivial debate they are having of whether or not a genocide occurred.  This article eludes to the way the international community denied that a genocide was happening until it was too late. If the U.N. had declared the conflict in Darfur a genocide then that would have warranted immediate international response, but the U.N. denied that a genocide was happening so they would not have to get involved.
                 The article also talks about how in 2004 the U.S. had the conflict legally declared a genocide. Even with this conflict having been declared a genocide it still was not enough for the U.S. to intervene immediately. This article explains the international views towards the conflict in Darfur in a very basic manner, but it still manages to mention most of the important things that are happening in Darfur and how the international community views them. Since this article was written in 2005 it gives a clear and present first hand insight of the conflict and how it was viewed then. It also bares testament to the fact that the international community has failed to act in the face of a clear genocide. This article states appropriately that Darfur was a good test to see if the international community would uphold its promise of never again letting a genocide happen. Now it is clear that they did let it happen and the millions of people who were affected by the genocide were let down by the U.S., the U.N. and the world in general just as other in the face of  total eradication have been.

Response To Slide Show

       
                This video sends a message regarding the response of the U.S. which was not effective at all. It gives a brief overview of many important facts and shows some of the pain that has been caused by the Janjaweed and how little has been done to stop it. This video is a great video for someone to watch who wants to learn more about the genocide in Darfur or has not learned that much at all. The video sends the message that something should have been done and that the international community must be proactive in the future about dealing with matters of ethnic eradication like the one in Darfur.
                At the end of the video it gives a list of websites where people can visit to learn more. These websites also contain useful information on what one can do to help Darfur and countries experiencing similar things to Darfur. Overall this video was very concise and effective in telling people the basic facts about the genocide that occurred. It also gave people opportunity to learn more and to learn what they could do to help out with issues similar to the one in Darfur. Hopefully people who watch this video will be moved enough to atleast learn more or see what they can do to help the people who are experiencing such unimaginable tragedies in Darfur.
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Political Cartoon Response

This political cartoon represents the international response to the conflict in Darfur. The hand is representative of the the genocide that was going on at the time. This is an accurate representation of the event because it shows the brutality and magnitude of the situation in Darfur. The phone represents the international community or the U.N. This is also an accurate depiction of them because the people getting massacred in Darfur called to them for help and they were essentially “put on hold” until it was too late. The 911 dialed in the phone is also appropriate because it represents that this situation was an emergency that needed to be dealt with right away.
                I feel that this cartoon is a relatively simple, but accurate depiction of the situation in Darfur. The minority was getting massacred by the Janjaweed and they asked the international community to intervene. This political cartoon should be taken by the U.N. as a message of how the international community has perceived this event. It is clear that genocide took place and nothing was done to stop it. Hopefully in the future the U.N. will act more swiftly and decisively so perhaps we can avoid situations that warrant more political cartoons like this one.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Darfur: An International Responsibility




Darfur is a region in Western Sudan. It is the primary area that has been affected by the violence that started in 2003. The genocide in Darfur is mainly a result of clashing ethnic factions. It started when the Sudan Liberation Movement/ Army accused the government of treating non-Arab citizens unfairly. The government responded violently and utilized the Janjaweed, a government funded Arab, nomadic militia group with a racist ideology towards non Arabs, to carry out mass killings towards the rebel minority groups. These Janjaweed are responsible for many of the travesties that happened in Darfur. The government used the revenue obtained from the heavy oil supply in Sudan to fund them and supply them with more advanced weapons. When the government gave up trying to find the actual rebels launching attacks on the government they turned to the civilians in Darfur and sent in the Janjaweed to systematically kill the inhabitants. The Janjaweed went from town to town raping, pillaging, and committing acts against humanity. Many Civilians had no part in the protests against the government, but were being killed anyway because they were the same non Arab race as much of the rebel Sudanese Liberation Army. Ultimately the civilians were caught in the middle between the rebel’s SLM/A (Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army) and the Janjaweed.
            The Government, primarily Arab, which resides in Northern Sudan, has primary access to the ports in Sudan. Naturally they reap the benefits of trade. In southern Sudan is where Sudan’s main revenue source of oil wells resides. Northern Sudan is considered racially Arab and ethnically Muslim.  In southern Sudan is where Sudan’s main revenue source of oil wells resides. Southern Sudan  was not seeing any benefits from the government despite the fact that they were the one’s who possessed the oil and shipped it to Northern Sudan so they could trade it to other countries. The government retaliated by sending the Janjaweed into Darfur, whose inhabitants are on the side of the rebel's Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement, to kill the people residing there, which in turn would heavily decrease the Sudanese Liberation Army/ Movement's power.
These travesties were allowed to happen for many reasons, some of which are bigger than others. One big reason is the arbitrary borders drawn by Great Britain when Sudan was a colony under British Rule. These borders were set up with little consideration of the ethnic groups in the area and as a result there are conflicting ethnic groups in Sudan. Another big reason this was allowed to happen was because of a slow and somewhat non-existent response by the international community. This slow response met that the Sudanese Government could carry out genocide without fear of retaliation from international players
The death count has been hypothesized to be as little as twenty-thousand or as large as four-hundred-thousand. Either way these are staggering numbers and the international community has failed to mediate the conflict. The United Nations has long debated the issue of whether or not to get involve the internationally with Darfur. The U.N. Security Council has debated whether or not genocide has occurred. Although the U.N. does acknowledge that human rights violations have taken place they fail to recognize a genocide that warrants immediate international response.
The U.N. has made an effort to promote peace in Darfur, but has had very little success. A cease-fire was signed and agreed upon briefly, but neither side honored the agreement. Both sides say they are still committed to achieving peace, but there is not a clear way to go about it. 
Although the death count has been inconsistently reported the displacement of people is undeniable as many as two-million-five-hundred-thousand have been displaced. People have fled from their homes into other countries to escape the Janjaweed, but not even this has kept them out of harm. The conflict has now spilled into other countries such as Chad where the Janjaweed are still killing refugees.
            The minority targeted in Darfur consisted of three farming tribes: the Fur, zaghawa, and the Masalit. The government funded Janjaweed are targeting these people because the Sudanese Liberation Movement/ Army Draws their force primarily from them. By attacking the innocent civilians they are sending a message to the rebel groups and at the same time weakening their strength.
The nomadic Janjaweed have had a History of Conflict with the sedentary farmers that live in Darfur. For Centuries the nomadic, camel herding Janjaweed have conflicted with the farming tribes of Darfur over land. Now the government is giving them the weapons, and the resources to kill the farming tribes in Darfur. This along with the preexisting insentive the Janjaweed have to kill these people in Darfur makes up a deadly combination.
            The word Janjaweed is an Arabic word that can be translated to mean: “man with a gun on a horse.” This description is fitting. The Janjaweed are often seen on horseback carrying guns supplied to them by the Sudanese government. One reporter described them as “a mixture of the Ku Klux Klan and the Mafia.” They are often called “the devils on horseback.” All of these names are appropriate and illustrate at least a couple aspects of the Janjaweed.
            The Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army in many cases is the only thing that stands between innocent civilians and certain slaughter by the Janjaweed. The Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement has its hands full due to the war with the government and their Janjaweed. This makes the task of protecting the minority inhabitants in Darfur even more difficult than it already is. This is not an easy task go begin with. The Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army is charged with the project of defending large camps filled with tens of thousands of refugees. They are ill equipped to carry out such a task they lack the weapons, resources, funding, and numbers to fight the well equipped, government funded Janjaweed.
            The Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement has asked for international funding and aid. The response has been sluggish. The U.S. has made efforts to negotiate with government leaders of Sudan including the president Omar Al-Bashir, but other than that the U.S. has been relatively inactive in stopping the genocide in Darfur.
            Darfur is a place in dire need of international attention. The causes of the genocide in Darfur can ultimately be attributed to ethnic problems due to arbitrary borders drawn during the colonization of Africa an overall failure to act on the part of the international community. The Sudanese Liberation Army/ Movement need international assistance to protect the inhabitants of Darfur from the Janjaweed who kill more civilians every day. The international community has failed to act and have watched genocide happen. Killings are still going on today. The Sudanese government continues to endorse the militia on horseback called the Janjaweed who are responsible for so much hardship and so many travesties in Darfur. After The Holocaust the world said never again and promised to help countries who were in danger of having a certain group exterminated by another group, but so far the world has not upheld this promise in any way. One can only hope that in the future the international community will learn from its mistakes and help prevent situations like Darfur in the future.